12 Tribes of Israel

Twelve Tribes of Israel Rastafari organization accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and Selassie I as divinely chosen by the creator to represent him on earth. Due to the stigma associated with slavery and the false use of the name Jesus by enslavers/colonialist not practicing what they preached, some prefer to use the ancient names of Christ - Yeshua or Yehoshua or JAH SHUA (from Hebrew) and/or Yesus (or I-Yesus) Kristos (Amharic).

Haile Selassie I is seen as a divinely anointed king in the lineage of King David and Solomon. While he is considered a type/representation of Christ in Kingly Character, he is not Jesus Christ himself, but a representative of the everlasting Davidic covenant, which is to be fulfilled by Jesus Christ when he returns as Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

The twelve tribes symbology is based on Jacob/Israel's 12 sons, and correspond to the months of the ancient Israelite calendar, beginning with April and Reuben. Some people further relate this to metaphysical signs. Thus Bob Marley came from the Tribe of Joseph, the eleventh of the biblical Jacob's twelve children (because he was born in February). The name Levi in Ijahman Levi represents the third child who was born to Jacob. Another well known reggae group of this Organisation is Israel Vibration.

Bob Marley, a natty dread, by quoting a biblical passage about Joseph on the album cover of Rastaman Vibration, was acknowledging his own support for this sect. Dennis Brown, Freddie McGregor, and many other roots reggae artists were associated with the Twelve Tribes of Israel.